Irradiation Services Now Part of Expanded Discovery and Imaging Services Portfolio
July 7, 2009 – Irradiation of research animals can be utilized to evaluate radiation therapy in conjunction with chemotherapy, to induce myeloablation or to study the harmful effects of radiation. Now, as we continue to expand our discovery and imaging capabilities, we are proud to be one of the first CROs to offer irradiation services on-site to facilitate lead candidate selection in all of these research areas.
Combination Chemo- and Radiation Therapy
We utilize a RadSource RS-2000 irradiator with a 160 kV, 4.2 kW X-ray source that can irradiate animals at dose rates of up to 6 Gy per minute in a uniform field. This system is docked directly to our BioBubble® animal housing unit within our vivarium. Human tumor xenograft models available for radiation studies include A2780, A375, BxPc-3, Colo205, H460, HCT116, MDA-MB-435, MiaPaCa-2, MX-1, Panc-1, PC3 and UISO-BCA. Validated treatment protocol for these models delivered 2.5 Gy (1.5 Gy/minute) doses given daily to mimic current clinical practice.
Irradiation to Induce Myeloablation
Myeloablation is the destruction of bone marrow stem cells by drugs or radiation. Animals with myeloablation are susceptible to the transplantation of healthy bone marrow or stem cells from another donor to repopulate the damaged cells. If human stem cells are used, this process can essentially “humanize” an animal’s immune system and can be used in models where recruiting human immune response is important.
A modification of this procedure involves transplanting genetically engineered cells into the marrow. This aspect is an important element of adoptive immunotherapy, where immune cells are genetically altered so that they can recognize and eliminate specific cancerous cells using the body’s own immune system.
Many xenografts, such as myelomas, lymphomas, leukemias and others, are difficult to grow in animal models because they are immunogenic. To decrease the ability of a host animal to reject foreign tissue, radiation has been used in immunocompromised animals to cause further immunosuppression and allow the growth of xenografts that would otherwise be rejected.
Studying the Harmful Effects of Radiation
Since exposure to harmful levels of radiation is always a concern, the discovery of therapeutics that prevent the debilitating effects of radiation has become an area of intense research. We have animal models that can help to determine the potential of these novel agents for use in humans.
To learn more about how our irradiation and cancer pharmacology services can help advance your lead candidate selection, please contact us at 1.877.CRIVER.1 (1.877.274.8371) or askcharlesriver@crl.com, or visit www.criver.com/info/discoveryservices.